Above / Naperville Fire Division Chief Andy Dina, center, accepted the Spirit of Debbie Wood Award from Firefighter Cancer Support Network President Bryan Frieders. Dina was nominated for the award by FCSN Wellness Coordinator Debbie Pike, pictured at left.
Naperville’s Fire Division Chief Andy Dina accepted the “Spirit of Debbie Wood Award” from the Firefighter Cancer Support Network (FCSN) during the organization’s annual fundraising gala in Los Angeles on November 12.
The award was presented to Chief Dina by FCSN President Bryan Frieders. Chief Dina was nominated by FCSN Wellness Coordinator Debbie Pike based on his six years of badge-to-badge mentoring with the organization, his four years of work training new mentors as an Assistant Wellness Coordinator and his work after recently being named FCSN Illinois State Coordinator, a position he continues to serve in today.
The FCSN is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to providing timely assistance to all fire service members and their families in the event of a cancer diagnosis. They maintain and continuously update a roster of mentors who have personal experience with many types of cancers who will personally guide firefighters through the process of dealing with their specific illness.
“The Firefighter Cancer Support Network does such great things for firefighters,” said Dina who, along with his wife, are both cancer survivors. “I am honored to accept the award from such an outstanding organization.”
The FCSN can also provide assistance and guidance for other support options such as behavioral health services, fire service organizations, Fire Service Chaplains and other cancer support programs. The FCSN works in collaboration with both the American Cancer Society and the LIVESTRONG Foundation.
For more information on the Naperville Fire Department, visit www.naperville.il.us/fire. For more information on the FCSN, visit www.firefightercancersupport.org.
Story and photo submitted by Kevin Apgar, Communications Specialist, for the City of Naperville.
Editor’s Note: Congratulations to Division Chief Dina. We appreciate all first responders, their shared experiences and their dedicated outreach to make our city and our world a better place.
